Thread: 1984 chevy s-10 4 speed 2.8 litre v-6

Anybody know much about these trucks? I am eighteen and this is my first truck i bought the other day for 600$ I have already put in a water pump, and a partial tune-up. It runs real good and it seems to be mechanically sound. I got to do rear brakes and shocks in coming months, but all in all a nice truck. So were these chevys good trucks? Any ideas if it will make me a decent truck?? Basically, whats your opinion on these trucks??

My dad had a '93 S10 2wd with the 2.8 V6 and 5 speed. He put 98,000 trouble free miles on that truck. They traded it back in '01 for a new Silverado. The only things the truck required during those 8 years was just regular maintenance. Your truck will have the carburated 2.8, whereas dad's had the fuel injection. I think the carburated 2.8's made 110hp. That's not a whole lot, but it will get the job done. Here are 2 things to watch for on a 2.8: the rear main seal and the intake manifold gasket. I've had a few mechanics tell me that the 2.8's were bad about blowing the intake and sending all of the antifreeze into the crankcase, which will ruin the bottom end of the engine. You might want to keep an eye on the intake. I've known plenty of 2.8 owners, and I have yet to see it happen in person. Best of luck with the truck. BTW, my first vehicle was an '83 S10 with the Isuzu 1.9L 4 cylinder engine. It was a dog, but ran like a sewing machine and burned no oil.

Basically, the 2.8s are a little weak and not well regarded by some. I had a 82 S10 with the 2.8 and it lack power. I also had a 85 GMC S15 with the 2.5 Iron Duke with a 4-speed manual that had a lot more power than my 2.8 with an automatic. Currently I have a 89 GMC Jimmy 4WD with the 4.3 with AOD and that's the setup I like the best. I currently pulled a 6 x 12 trailer fully loaded with it and it has plenty of power for it. The 2.8 would struggle with this load.